[FFML] [Ranma/Marvel] Avenging Act 2 Chapter 9

[David Andersson]

> From: DB Sommer <sommert at consolidated.net>
> Subject: Re: [FFML] [Ranma/Marvel] Avenging Act 2 Chapter 9
> To: "The Fanfiction Mailing List" <ffml at chez-vrolet.net>
> Date: Monday, June 1, 2009, 5:28 PM
> Weee. C+C
> % Not sure. I'm just about out of comic collecting anymore.
> I didn't 
> change with the current times, and it's not a cheap hobby.
> I've been 
> enjoying slowly rereading the ones i own, in many cases in
> order for the 
> first time in years since i collected all the pre eighties
> stuff piecemeal.

I've also found most of the recent output too depressing and disjointed, and much prefer uplifting manga like One Piece, Fairy Tail, Kenichi, and Yotsuba these days. Although there are a few enjoyable western books as well. Gold Digger and Fables for example.

In any case some minor 'comicbooky' explanation of transformation from possible amateur chemist to world-class supergenius might be an idea if possible.

> % Ryouga isn't exactly a master of disguise, and his
> ability to see 
> through them is worse.

Exactly. Nice touch.

> % That already happened to Thor once. I try not to repeat
> myself too 
> often. :)

Ok

> % They never seemed to enjoy physical damage, so I'm
> assuming even if 
> it's not fatal, it hurts, and the Hulk would hurt lots.

Ok

> % He's a heroic hunk and she hadn't been allowed to date.
> He was one of 
> the first guys she saw since her father died and brother
> disappeared and 
> got fixated on him.

Still, the problem with making her and certain other cast members less unstable than canon is that you might have to let them get over it and realise the mistake rather than keep up the semi-harem/fanclub approach.

> % He's also childlike, and like most children,
> tempermental. Besides, 
> she doesn't have much in the way of overall agendas outside
> of creating 
> new things, running the company, and being an Avenger.

Ok

> % This is 70's to pre Bruce Banner mind Hulk, not the
> current godlike 
> force they've made him out to be, which is another reason I
> dropped the 
> title a while back. So he's not that off the scale
> invincible. When he 
> and the old red and gold armor went at it Shellhead could
> bounce him 
> around a bit before the Hulk would get angry enough to win
> in the end.

He was actually just as powerful at times in the old days. Destroying several hundred planets with the shockwaves of his punches, collapsing a pocket universe by clapping his hands, somehow separating matter and anti-matter through physical strength, ripping apart a machine constructed to take down the Celestials and such.

> % No. She surely thinks of herself as the one true eternal
> Thor and has 
> 
> always has been this way, which was another one of those
> subplot things 
> I need to move along.

And may be too obtuse to look up that it's a boy's name. Still Akane being Akane should find it extremely embarrassing if it was made fun of in public...

> % Thor is from the same time period as the Hulk timewise,
> and thus isn't 
> that powerful as to split planets in a single stroke. And
> in the case of 
> the Null Bands, they were capable of knocking out the Thing
> at normal 
> levels, so an overload should render even Thor unconscious
> briefly.

I buy the durability thing. He used to block bullets with his hammer in the old days after all, but also take on Galactus or Ego one-on-one, so the power-up isn't as remarkable as you might think.

> % Yep, but if he misses he'll overshoot her by far, so he
> has to be 
> accurate as well.

Mm

> % Depends on the writers, it's true. I'm now guilty of it
> as well.

I've tried to stick with consistent full power levels in my limited writing, but I'll admit that it can limit the storyline options.

> % Yep, way back in act II and the Ryouga chapter that Irie
> was introduced.

Well, I warned you for memory lapses.

> % She'll agree to go along with them because she's not
> trying to cause 
> problems with the authoritiies.

Mm, having to maintain a now 'clean' public persona should take a toll on her patience.

> % Could be, but this was the one they initially ended up on
> and want it 
> for themselves.

The point being that they're assholes for not making the effort to find somewhere else.

> % Not exactly. All is not quite what it seems here, as will
> become 
> evident in hindsight. This universe's SM cast will be
> introduced in the 
> next arc.

Awww, I liked all the morbid story potential, and the Senshi going "Hail Hydra! Cut us down and we'll be resurrected in a week!"


> % Some other. I think there's enough clues and MO that you
> can figure it 
> out from previous chapters.

It's entirely possible that I did at one point, but the memory is extremely sketchy of previous chapters at this point. THen again, it might have been an unfamiliar character.

> % True, but who would think someone so good would be so
> blatent about it? :)

Touché

> % Agree. I didn't like the attempts to rehabilitate her. I
> never found 
> her that intruiging a character, actually

Oh, she's an excellent character. I liked the isidous infiltration aspect, and that she always did what was best for herself, including switching sides and technically 'betraying her cause' at the drop of a hat, while consciously 'hypocritically' sprouting ideologue rhetorics more as a way of having something to do. It made her very different. The problems came when Claremont started to change his mind halfway through which didn't make any sense given what he had already established.

> % Ah, didn't know it had become canon. The only thing I
> really 
> remembered was a backup story in Marvel Fanfare where she
> danced with 
> Destiny as a guy.

Well, it's been strongly hinted at from the start, and she has had dialogue of finding various women attractive. Still, if you don't feel like changing it, she could simply have been polite and turned Shampoo down gently. ;)

> % Well, she is a highly trained fighter. She'll hold her
> own for a while. Also I figured this would be the best way to confirm
> 
> Tigra/Elektra/Shampoo and not have anyone suspect i was
> throwing in a 
> curve.

Highly trained yes. Able to hold her own against a master of Electra level powered up with considerable superhumaN strength, speed and regeneration? Nah. She's very sneaky though, and been known to conceal weaponry in her body.

Btw: Did Shampoo train herself to any of Electra's psychic abilities? THe hypnotism, mind-meld, possession, and sensing occult forces bits?

> % I'm probably going to do the opposite, mostly because in
> this universe 
> Irie doesn't have the pull to kill subordinates families
> like that.

Ok. Consider doing the original morbid humour approach though.

> % Part of it is background, part of it is usefullness to
> plot. It's not 
> a type of story where that is useful to me. But I do
> understand what 
> you're saying.

It's worth keeping in mind to use when poszsible at least.

> % Didn't watch either of them, so I don't really have a
> point of 
> reference. OTOH, I did watch a little bit of Blade Runner
> before turning 
> in the other night and picked up on the huge '6 replicants
> escaped, one 
> got killed, here are the other four to look for' addition
> gaff in it.

Hmm, never watched that one, but might have to. In any case both are truly excellent movies, and almost mandatory for anyone who wants to write real-world style entertaining evil.

> % Oh, there are plans for him. Big ones now that he and
> Hound have been 
> freed up from their duties.

Like Nabiki he's exactly the type of character that I really like the possibilities of, and you have a really good grasp of him. 

> % She's skilled enough not to have been killed by anyone
> yet, even 
> having sex with Sabretooth. I'm sure that's typically a
> fatal experience 
> for most. :)

Not being eaten alive afterwards at least. He's been known to raid kindergartens, and stuff a few dozen 3-year olds in his wardrobe as snack food after all.

> % Agree. I'm cutting the second half of that. way too
> wordy

Well, I'm definitely not one to talk in that respect, but it was an easily adjusted part.

> > Your handle on Shampoo in this chapter is probably the
> best I remember seeing from you. Lathis is the only writer I
> currently remember to have done it even better at times.
> >   
> 
> % Thanks

You really should check out the second arc of his story. ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3462706/21/Dark_Titans I read it around a month ago, and it's almost eerie how well it overlaps with my personal tastes.)  She had quite a few excellent moments. Some examples that sent me chuckling:


“So, what did you think of that test?” Shampoo asked out of the blue, “I mean, what was with those questions? ‘A fellow employee approaches you and informs you that your perfume slash cologne is too strong. How do you respond?’”

“Yeah, that was a good one. I picked ‘B’, myself: Apologize and thank them for their input, so that I might better integrate myself with the workforce. Heh, wasn’t too hard to figure that one out . . . so, what response did you pick?”

“Fine, Stupid Blind Duck. Shampoo add new box to check. It say ‘Bash in head and feed to herd.’”


“You teach Mousse, right? Did you help Mousse train to avenge Shampoo’s ‘death’, or you try convince Mousse not to let vengeance consume soul?”

Master Cain met her serious look for a moment, before shaking his head in bemusement. “I’m afraid that it was the former, my dear. I’ve never been an advocate of ‘forgive and forget’ myself, and he was quitebroken up about the whole affair.”

Shampoo maintained her deadly serious stare for another few seconds . . . before breaking into a wide smile.

“Alright, you Shampoo like, no kill you.”

> % Irie was basically 99.9% convinced she was no Phantom
> Cat. He was 
> willing to take the chance with those odds.

Ok

> % It'll depend on the guys, and the writer's mood what the
> reaction is. 
> Although canon Tigra usually had no shortage of admierers.
> Remember, 
> lots of chicks dug the blur furry Beast as well.

But that oddity was explained with 'enhanced pheromones combined with enormous charisma' or somesuch. Tigra on the other hand just didn't make any sense.

> % At this point its the path of least resistance as well.

Yup. Keeping up appearances and all that.

> % It is. She's deliberately sounding worse so no one
> realizes her formor 
> identity

Memory gap #3.

> % I was also sort of glad they never got into the harem
> aspects of the 
> Geobreeders thing to deeply.

I don't mind harems if done in an entertaining, rather than gratuitious, way. Tenchi Muyo OAV 1 was probably my favourite anime of all time along with Cowboy Bebop.

> % True, but in this case they weren't needed to save the
> day. They were 
> just victims of circumstances

My badly worded intended point. The spotlight and proceedings can be shifted around quite a bit.

> % Thanks. And thanks for the comments. They are very
> appreciated.

No problem. They didn't make as much of a fuzz as I feared.


BW